North Carolina officials are in discussions with coach Hubert Davis about his future at the school, sources told ESPN, with a decision on his status and potential exit plan expected to unfold in the coming days.
Davis met with his UNC team Saturday afternoon in the wake of No. 6-seeded UNC’s upset loss to No. 11 VCU in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament Thursday. The team meeting did not offer any clarity on Davis’ future, according to sources.
Davis’ strong reputation at the school as a player, coach and assistant means any potential departure is unlikely to be termed an outright firing, sources told ESPN. Davis has nearly $5.3 million of guaranteed money left on his deal.
Saturday’s loss triggered an emotional response from the UNC fan base and donors, as Davis’ Tar Heels exited in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. The Tar Heels led the Rams by 19 in the second half but collapsed down the stretch en route to an 82-78 overtime defeat. It was the largest comeback in the NCAA tournament since 2018.
Davis appeared sour and agitated in the postgame news conference, declining to get into specifics of the collapse and answered a benign question about his in-game rotations by saying, “Because that was my decision.”
North Carolina went 24-9 this season, despite projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson missing the final nine games with two different hand and thumb injuries. The Tar Heels beat Duke on Feb. 7 to improve to 19-4 but went just 5-5 the rest of the way.
This is the second straight season UNC failed to get out of the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing to Ole Miss last season in the round of 64 after beating San Diego State in the First Four. The Tar Heels were one of the final at-large teams selected to last year’s tournament, getting a bid despite a 1-12 record against Quadrant 1 opponents.
Davis was promoted to the head coach position when Roy Williams retired in 2021, after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach on Williams’ staff.
His first three seasons brought a mix of highs and lows. Davis led Carolina to the national championship game as an 8-seed in 2022, beating Duke in the Final Four in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as the Blue Devils’ head coach. The Tar Heels led Kansas by 15 points at halftime of the title game before allowing the Jayhawks to come back and win 72-69.
North Carolina entered the following season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country — before becoming the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the NCAA tournament.
They bounced back in 2023-24, beating Duke twice en route to the ACC regular-season title and a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, wins that have proved to be the highest moments of Davis’ tenure. UNC beat Wagner and Michigan State in the first two rounds before suffering an upset at the hands of Alabama in the Sweet 16, finishing 29-8 overall. Davis won ACC Coach of the Year honors this season.
In five seasons at the helm, Davis is 125-54. That’s a winning percentage of just under 70%.
Davis is a longtime Tar Heel, playing his college ball under Dean Smith in Chapel Hill from 1988 to ’92, earning All-ACC honors as a senior. He was a first-round pick of the New York Knicks and played 12 seasons for six NBA franchises before moving to television as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
